American Doll Posse

Sorry poor blog – I am not ignoring you on purpose!

I have been busy listening to Tori Amos' new album – American Doll Posse.

I've been a Tori-fan since 1994.

However, being a fan doesn't mean bowing down and worshipping all of
Tori's output. This is no "Little Earthquakes", "Boys for Pele" or
"Choirgirl" – but I do think it's better than her most recent
"Scarlet's Walk" and "Beekeeper". Being a fan also doesn't mean
worshipping every word an artist says – if you've ever heard Tori
being interviewed, you'd know that she talks shit. In fact, I've never
seen someone else talk so much shit. I get the feeling that she'd be
one of those people who really annoy me if I worked with her.

But back to the album. I like it.

It's also been quite a challenge. I mean, Tori doesn't let her
listeners off lightly, you have to work at it– this is no
"easy-listening" album. I really think it's overblown – the 23 tracks
make it difficult to get into the album and makes it obvious that Tori
needs an editor - some of them should have been relegated to B-side
status.

The concept seemed a little twee at first. Tori presents the songs
from the point of view of five characters – Isabel, Clyde, Pip, Santa
and Tori (each with her own blog) – who take turns presenting the
different songs. Tori plays dress-ups with these characters, making
for some great album art (resembling that of "Strange Little Girls").
To put it simply:

1. Isabel is a photographer. She has a severe-cut blonde hairstyle and
she's the political one.
2. Clyde is sad, hurt, and sensitive. She looks willowy and delicate.
3. Pip is young, angsty, and confrontational. She's young and sexy
with dark hair.
4. Santa is passionate and sensual. She's old-school with red lips and
short blonde hair.
5. Tori is almost a send-up of the real Tori. She has startling red
hair, seems self-loathing and is a self-declared (tongue-in-cheek)
MILF.

On closer listening, however, the characters aren't as one-dimensional
as they might seem. For instance, Isabel's opinions aren't really that
fervent, Clyde is smarter than she thinks, Santa is funnier. Also,
they remind the listener that Tori herself has aspects of all those
girls in her own personality, as do her listeners.

It takes a bit of work, but after a while, you can tell the difference
in how each "doll" sings. Some of the girls have better tracks than
others. I really like Clyde and Santa. Isabel seems annoying with her
silly political crap near the start of the album, but seems to come
into her own towards the end. Pip is edgy and sometimes a little too
angsty for the age of the writer. Tori, strangely enough, seems to be
the least developed character with the weakest songs.

Here are my favourite tracks. If I were to cull this album down to one
of a normal, more accessible length, I'd pick just these songs.

From Clyde, listen to:
Bouncing off Clouds
Roosterspur Bridge (so achingly pretty – my current favourite - on
high rotation on my ipod!)
Beauty of Speed (love the intricate piano work)

From Santa:
You Can Bring Your Dog (raunchy and glam – I love it)
Secret Spell (irresistibly catchy chorus)

From Pip:
Teenage Hustling
Smokey Joe (Pip is dark – there's something very Boys for Pele about her)

From Isabel:
Almost Rosey
Dark Side of the Sun

From Tori:
Big Wheels

All in all, there are some great moments in "American Doll Posse" that
show Tori at her best, however the weaker moments seem fluffy and
scream "cutting room floor". It's much, much better than some of her
recent albums, but the sheer conceit of presenting such a bloated work
shows that she needs to take a step back and hone her art – the way
she did perfectly all those years ago in her landmark, perfectly
succinct "Little Earthquakes" album.